The Winner Of The World Cup Is…YOU!!!

Forget brackets. The real World Cup winner is America!

Visiting fans are finding out that we are not just loud, we are helpful, funny, and apparently very serious about feeding people.

Fans from around the globe have flooded TikTok, Instagram, and X with videos that have almost nothing to do with soccer. Instead, they’re celebrating the people they’ve met and the experiences they never expected. Boston fell in love with Scotland’s Tartan Army as thousands of kilt-clad fans marched through the city, packed Fenway Park, and became local celebrities. By the time they left, the Red Sox were thanking them, and Boston newspapers were publishing goodbye messages.

In New York, Norwegian fans turned Times Square into a giant Viking party before bringing that same energy to a Mets game. Americans didn’t just watch, they joined in.

And here in Houston? If you were lucky enough to see the Dutch “Orange Army” march through the streets, you know exactly what the World Cup is supposed to feel like. Twenty thousand fans dressed in orange singing, dancing, and celebrating together. It wasn’t just a walk to the stadium. It was one giant street party, and Houstonians happily jumped right into it.

Then there’s the food.

One of the funniest trends online has been international visitors discovering that chips and salsa are free at Tex-Mex restaurants. Japanese fans have gone viral trying Texas barbecue, Buc-ee’s, and marveling at the portions, while other visitors have posted first-time trips to Texas Roadhouse, wondering if the warm rolls really are unlimited. The answer, of course, is yes. Welcome to America.

Everywhere they’ve gone, they’ve found strangers offering directions, recommending restaurants, buying drinks, and inviting complete strangers into the celebration.

When the final whistle blows, millions of visitors will leave saying, “America was even better than we imagined,” then the biggest World Cup victory belongs to all of us.

Doug O’Brien